A 45-year old Prineville man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries when his motorcycle collided with a calf elk on Highway 126 in Powell Butte, Oregon early Tuesday morning, deputies reported.

Crook County Sheriff’s deputies and paramedics with Crook County Fire and Rescue responded to the incident on Highway 126 near mile marker 12.6 about 12:45 a.m., August 14, Sgt. Russ Wright wrote in a news release.

George Bowles, 45, was riding east on the highway when he hit the elk, apparently standing or running across his lane of travel, Wright said.

Bowles was transported to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend for treatment of injuries.

A responding deputy was forced to “put down”, or destroy, the elk due to the extent of the injuries it sustained in the crash.

“Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, and no citations were issued,” the sergeant said.